Trimming machine



June 14, 1932.

A. 'VAN VEEN TRIMMING MACHINE Filed June 22. 1928 v5 Sheets-Sheet l June 14, 1932. A. VAN VEEN TRIMMING MACHINE Filed June 22. 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 14, 1932. A. VAN VEEN 1,862,990V

TRMMING MACHINE Filed Jqneza. 1928 5 sheets-sheet Z bb Glitch/w14 Patented June 14, 1932 STATE-Sti ANTON VAN TJEEN, F WEST HARTFORD,

u as e..

CONNECTICUT, ASSIG-NOR, BY MESNE .AS-

SIGNMENTS, TO PENROSE B. HOOPES, 0F HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT TRIIVIMING MACHINE' Application lcil, June 22,

This invention relates to trimming machines and, more particularly, to machines for trimming the overflow from molded rubberl articles. e

The aim of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this sort wherein the cutting instrumentality and the piece of work automatically assume and retain the proper relation to one another' during the cutting operlo ation. By the use of the present machine, the pieces of work may be expeditiously and accurately trimmed without the employment of hand labor for guiding or maintaining the work and cutter in the desired relation.

More specifically, the aim of the invention is to provide a trimming machine with a cutting instrumentality having asingle cutting or shearing point, and relatively supporting the. work and the cutting instrumentaiity in such manner that the cutting point,

during the cutting operation, will automatically remain in the line of the edge of the work to be trimmed irrespective of the configuration of the work. As will be pointed out hereinafter more in detail, the cutting point of the cutter automatically remains constant at the point of tangency between the cutter and the work.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consistsin the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

ln the present disclosure of the invention, which is by wav of illustration only and isr not to= be taken as restrictive of my concepti p1 the various features of novelty are inebrporated in a machine for trimming the overflow from rubber heels and, while the invention is peculiarly adaptable for this use, I wish it clearly understood that the invention is also applicable for use in trimming various other objects.

ln the accompanying drawings, wherein F0V l have illustrated, for purposes ofv exempli- 152s. serial No. 287,571.

fication only, one of the many embodiments which the present invention may take:

Figure l is a diagrammatic vieW which illustrates the general principle of the present invention, the cutter being shown in full lines as having been initially brought into engagement with the edge of a piece of work which is in the form'of a heel, and the cutter being shown by dotted lines in that position which it automatically assumes and in which poslition it is in pro-per cutting relation to the hee Fig-2 is also a diagrammatic view showing the heel and cutter by full lines in the cuttingy relation of Fig. 1 and also showing the heel and cutter in dottedlines after the heel has been turned to bring another portion of its edge into engagement with the cutter;

Y Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a machine in which'the improvements of the present invention are incorporated, parts being broken away on line 33 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevational view of the machine; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken through the axis of the worlrand the axis of the cup of the cutter, the cutting mechanism being shown, so as to facilitate the illustration, somewhat out of its proper position.

Before referring to the details of the machine, the invention will first be described in connection with the diagrammatic showing of Figs. l and 2. It may be here stated that, in the present illustrative disclosure, I have shown the machine as having av cutter' of the type disclosed and claimed' in the co-pending application of Penrose R. Hoopes, Serial No. 90,724, filed F ebruaryv 26, 1926 and entitled Trimming machines. t is to be understood, however, that, while a cutter of that type is peculiarly adapted for use in the combination comprising my invention, my invention is not specifically limited to the precise construction of the cutter shown in said application. rEhe cutter comprises a venerally circular cup A, `the inside of whic is cut away to provide a surface 10 terminating in a cutting edge l1. The cup is mounted for rotation about an axis 12 located at the center of the cup. Cooperating with the cup is a cutter or disk B which is bevelled, as at 13, so as to provide, at its outer periphery, a rutting edge 14. The surfaces 1() and 13 of the cup and disk are formed in such manner that the cutting edge 14 may contact with the edge 11 to term a single point of shear or cut designated by the numeral 15. As explained more fully in detail in said Hoopes application, the surfaces 10 and 13 may be made slightly convex so that `the two may contact over a substantial area. The outside ot the cup provided with a circular', in this instance a cylindrical, surface 15 against which the heel may contact during the trimming operation and which serves as a guide as the heel is being turned to expose all sides to trimming` action.

Between the cutting edge 11 and the surtace 16 there may be a narrow land or flat annular surface which serves to prevent the heel lV itself from contacting directlv with the shearing point and thus preventing injury to the heel. The resiliency of the rubber is such that a clean cut is obtained, and the flow is removed sufficiently close to the heel that a substantially straight edge results. This land or annular surface is omitted from all of the gures, except Fig. 5, so as to avoid confusion. The overflow on the heel lV is omitted in Figs. 1 and 2 .tor the same reason. The disk B is mounted for rotation on an axis which is at an angle to, and preferably at right angles to, the axis of rotation 12 oit the cup A, all as explained more in detail in said Hoopes application.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided work supporting means which gives to the work a predetermined movement, for example, a rotary movement about a given point in the work. In the present illustrative disclosure, wherein the machine is described in connection with trimming heels, the work support is mounted for rotary movement, the axis thereof being designated in Figs. 1 and 2 by the numeral 20. Also in accordance with the present invention, the cutting instrumentality and the work support are mounted for relative movement ene towards the other in order to maintain the edge of the work in engagement with the guiding surface 16 of the cup. 1n the present illustratnfe disclosure, the cutting instrumentality is shown, by way of example, as

being bodily movable towards and away from the center ot rotation of the work, and the axis 2O is fixed, but the arrangement may be reversed.

As hereinafter described more in detail, the cutting instrumentality may be urged against the work by a spring or other desired arrangement.

As previously stated, one of the objects ot the present invention is to maintain the cutting point or point ot shear 15 automatically in the line of the edge of the work to be trimmed, which is to say, to maintain the cutter and work in such relation that the point of shear coincides with the point of tangency between the cutter and the work. 'llo accomplish this result, the cutting instrumentality is mounted for pivotal or swinging movement about a line which includes the point of shear. ln the presentillustrative disclosure, the axis of rotation 12 of the cup A is carried by a link er bracket 25 which, in turn, is pivotally carried by a swinging arm 26 fixedly pivoted as at 27, the line of pivot between the bracket 25 and the arm being coincident with the point of shear 15 in all positions of the cutting instrumentality.

T he construction so tar described and its mode of' operation will be clearly understood from Figs. 1 and 2. Assuming that the machine has been set up to operate upon a heel, and the cutter, as shown by full lines Fig. 1, is brought into engagement with the heel at a point spaced from the point of shear 15, the cutter', due to its engagement with the heel, will automatically swing about the point of shear 15 and, as the cutter is urged towards the heel, the cutter will roll trom the position shown by full lines Fig. 1 to the dotted line position of that figure, thus bringing the point ot shear into engagement with the heel at the point of tangency between the cup A and the heel.

As the heel is turned, the cutter will be automatically moved so that the cutter iemains in the same constant relation to the heel; that is to say, the point of shear will remain in the edge of the werk being trimmed. This will be clearly understood from Fig. 2 wherein is shown, by full lines, the heel in the position of Fig. 1 and the cutter in the cutting position which it has assumed in Fig. 1. The dotted line position et the heel shows the same as having been turned, and the dotted line position el the cutter shows how this cutter has been moved so that it will have the proper cutting relation to the heel in its new position. It will be observed, in each et these figures, that, when the cutter is in proper position with relation to the heel, the axis of rotation o't the cup, the point of shear and the center ot. the are of that portion of the heel operated upon are all in the same line, this line being designated by the letters :v

Reference may now be had to the machine shown in Figs. 3 to 5 which, as previously stated, is shown by way of example only so as to indicate one of the many embodiments which the present invention may take. In these figures, the machine is shown as having a trame with a base 30, a pair ot spaced stardards 31 and 32, and a brace 33 between the upper ends of the standards. Mounted in suitable bearings in the standard 31 is a vertical shatt 34 carrying, on its upper end. a work support or table 35 which, in the pres- ECU ent instance, has upstanding vpins 36. adapt-'ed to engage in vsuitable nailY holes inthe heel :forV properly positioning the latter, and for driving purposes. The shaft 34, together with the work support thereon, may be lrotated in any suitable manner. In the .present instance, the shaft'is shown :as being oa# pable of being rotated manually by turning a handle 37 to'which is connected a bevel'gear 3S meshing with a bevel gear 39 `on the low-er end of the shaft 34. If desired, the heel may be held downen the support by a clamp 40 slidably mount ed in a bracket arm 41 and urged downward ly by a vspring 42. n f Mounted in suitable bearings in the standard 32 is 'a pivot pin 45 to which is fixed, by 'a pin 44, the arm 26, as :shown most clearly in Figs. 3 and 4. Pivotally carried on the free end of this arm 26 is the swinging bracket or link '25 .which carries the cutting instru` mentality. )In the present illustrative disclosure, the bracket 25 carries opposed bearings or centers 46 engaging the opposite ends of a pin or :shaft 47 fixed by `a pin 43 in the free end of the arm 26. Journalled in the bracket 25 is a shaft 50 which is parallel to the pin 47, the laxes of the pin 47 and the shaft 50 being spaced apart the same distance as that between the center of rota-tion of the cutter cup A Vand the point 'ofshear 15, ite. the radius of the cutter "cup A. The cutter cup .A is secured to the shaft y50 so as to rotate therewith by means of 'a screw 51 and la driving pin 52. Rotatablymounted on the upper part 25 of thebra'clret 25 on anaxis `normal to the axis of the shaft't) is a Ashaft which carries the cutter dish B. For the purpose of holding the cutting edge 13 of the disk in contact at all times with the cutting edge 11 of the cup, and thus automaticah ly 'taking up whatever wear may occur, the shaft 55 has en-dwise movement, and a spring 56 is provided for normally urging this shaft towards the left, referring to Fig. '5. Behind the spring is a stu-d 57 which engagesl against an arm 58 carried by the part 25 of the bracket 25.

For the purpose of normally urging the cutter towards and against the heel, any suitable arrangement may be provided. In the present instance, there is shown, to this end, a spring 60. As will be seen' from 3 'and 4, lthis spring is coiled about. the upper end il; 'of the pin 45, and 'one end of the 'spring en gages a projection 61 carried by a collar 'G2 which is fixed to, so as to rotate with, the pin 45. The other or lower end of the spring engages a project-ion 63 on the upper end of the bearing in which the pin 45 is journalied.

In order to move the cutter away from the work support preliminarily to positioning a heel on the latter and to move the 'cutter away from the heel after the cutting operation has been completed, al handle 64 may be prorided.

This handle, asrwill. be seen most clearly from Fig. 4, is fixed to the pivoted end of the swinging arm 26. The cutter may be maintained away from the support by means of a .la-tch 65'. l' f The driving means for the parts of the cutter instrumentality will Inow be described. Journalled on the pin 45 is a doubleupulley about which passes a drive belt 71. `0n the shaft 47, about the airis 'ofwhich the bracket 25 swings, is a pulley V72 driven from the pulley 70 by a. belt 73. Fixed to the pui` ley 72 is a gear 74 which meshes with ay gear 7 iiredto the shaft 50 which carries the cutter cupzA. The cutter disk B is driven from if? the shaft tlthrough a belt 76. This belt passes about 'ainililey 77 on the lower end of the shaftx'O; idlers 78 journalled on the bracket 25; and a pulley 79 formed integi'ally with, or suitably secured to, the shaft The operation of the machine will be fully understood from the description whichhas been made with respect to Figs. 1 and 2. it

will be understood, of course, that the numerals 12, 2O and27 of'Figs. 1 and 2,.respectively, indicate the axes of rotationof the respective shafts or members 50, 34 and 45, of the machine shown Vin F igs. 3 to 5; Also, the vpoint of shear 15 lies in the axis of the bearings46.

.As many lchanges'could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely ditferent embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from i the scope thereof, itis inten-ded that all matter contained in theabove description or shown in.` theV aecompanying drawings shall be interpreted .as illustra-tire and not in a limiting sense.A l l It is` also to be Vunderstood that the language used in the"following` claimsV is intendedto fcover all of the generic and specific Jfeat-lires of the invention herein described and allstatem'ents oft thezscope of the inven- I9/ tion which, as a matter of language, might besaifd. to fall therebetween.

l I claim as my invention `1.` In ajtrimming machine, work supportinginstrumentality, `a cutting instrumentality ihaving a cutting point and arranged toengage and be guided by the edge of the work to be trimmed, means for supporting said `cutting instrumentality for bodily movement so that the engagement bctween the Icutting.instrumentality and the work maintains the cutting point at the point of tangency therebetween and means for urging work.

.2. In a machine for trimming the edges oli articles, a cuttinginstrumentality having a pair of cooperating members with a Shearing` point therebetween, one Voi'said members having a circular cuttingedge, yand means the cuttingrinstrumentality towards the n for supporting said cutting instrumentality for swinging movement about the shearing point.

3. In a machine for trimming the edges of articles, a cutting instrumentality having a pair of cooperating` members with a shearing point therebetween, one of said members having a circular cutting edge, a surface concentric with said edge and against which the work is adapted to engage, and means for supporting said cooperating members for swinging movement in unison about said shearing point.

4:. In a trimming machine, a euttinginstrumentality including a cup having a circular cutting edge, a disk having a cutting edge cooperating with a cutting edge of said cup and forming therewith a shearing point, said cup and disk being mounted for rotation about axes substantially at right angles to one another, and means for supporting said cutting instrumentality for swinging movement about an axis generally parallel to the axis of rotation of said cup and passing through said shearing point.

5. In a trimming machine, a disk having a circular cutting edge lying in its outermost periphery and mounted for rotation on an axis perpendicular to a plane passing through said cutting edge, a cup having. a circular cutting edge lying in its inner periphery and mounted for rotation on an axis perpendicular to a plane through said cutting edge, said cup and disk being so mounted with respect to one another that said planes intersect in a line which forms a chord of both circular cutting edges, and means for supporting said disk and cup for angular movement about an axis extending in the same general direction as the axis of rotation of the cup and passing through the point of shear formed by said cutting edges. Y

6. In a trimming machine, in combination, a disk having a circular cutting edge lying in its outermost periphery, said disk being mounted for rotation on an axis perpendicular to a plane through said cutting edge, a cup having a circular cutting edge lying in its inner periphery, said cup being mounted for rotation on an axis perpendicular to a plane through said cutting edge, said cup and disk being so mounted with respect to each other that said planes intersect in a line which forms a chord of both circular cutting edges, said cup being provided with a cylindrical surface around its outer periphery against which the work to be trimmed may bear, and means for supporting said disk and cup for swinging movement about an axis generally parallel to said cylindrical surface and passing through the point of shear formed by said cutting edges.

7. In a trimming machine, a swinging bracket, a cup-shaped cutting member rotatably mounted therein, a disk-shaped cutting member cooperating with said first cutting member to form a single point of shear and rotatably mounted in said bracket on an axis passing through the point of shear.

8. In a trimming machine, a swinging'y arm, a bracket pivoted thereto forswinging movement, a cutting instrumentality including a cup having a circular cutting edge and mounted for rotation in said bracket, said cutting instrumentality also including a diskshaped member having a circular cutting edge cooperating with said first cutting edge to forml a point of shear, said disk-shaped member being rotatably mounted in said bracket on an axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation ofsaid cup, the pivotal connection between said bracket and arm being in alignment with said point of shear.

9. In a' trimming machine, a work supporting instrumentality, a cutting instrumentality having a cutting point and arranged to engage and be guided by the edge of the work to be trimmed, said instrumentalities being mounted for relative movement one towards the other, means normally urging said instrumentalities towards one another, and means for supporting said cutting instrumentality so that the engagement between the cutting instrumentality and the work maintains the cutting point at the point of tangency therebetween.

10. In a trimming machine, a rotatable work supporting instrumentality, a cutting instrumentality having an active cutting point, means for supporting one of said instrumentalities for movement towards the other one, means for urging the movable instrumentality towards the other one, and means for supporting said cutting instrumentality for swinging movement about an axis substantially including said cutting point.

l1. In a trimming machine, a work support, a cutting instrumentality having a single shearing point and including a member having a circular surface against which the work to be trimmed may bear, said shearing point lying substantially in said surface, and means for supporting said cutting instrumentality for movement towards said support and for swinging movement about an axis including said shearing point.

l2. In a trimming machine, a rotatable work supporting instrumentality, a cutting instrumentality including a disk having a circular cutting edge lying in its outermost periphery and mounted for rotation on an axis perpendicular to a plane passing through said cutting edge, said cutting instrumentality also including a cup having a circular cutting edge lying in its inner periphery and mounted for rotation on an axis perpendicular to a plane through said cutting edge, said cup and disk being so mounted with respect .gli

to one another that said planes intersect in a line which forms a chord of both circular cutting edges7 means for supporting said disk and cup about an axis extending in the same general direction as the axis of rotation of the cup and passing through the point of shear formed by said cutting edges, and means for yieldingly urging one of said instrumentalities towards the other one.

13. In a trimming machine, a Work support mounted for rotation about an axis substantially perpendicular to the plane of said support, pins on said support to engage the Work to locate it in fixed relation to said axis7 a cutting instrumentality, means for positioning said cutting instrumentality in operative engagement With the Work, and means whereby said cutting instrumentality is caused to adjust its position relative to the Work as the Work is rotated.

ANTON VAN VEEN. 

